Peer Response to two rubrics received for this blog: Peer reviews provided different feedback from each received. One peer found my site a little busy while the other loved the way it was presented. A third rubric was provided although not included in this blog post from one other peer because I marked 4 blogs in total. It was suggested that I reverse the blog format however, that is not possible because blogs file in chronological order. I forgot to add my name clearly which has been rectified and am glad that was pointed out! It seems I have taken a different approach with my reflections than most peers, incorporating the key information at the end of each topic where I felt I was getting the most value. I made three draft attempts over the duration of this assessment before settling on the first drafts. Each blog was word counted and I believe that the majority of postings are 200 +/- 10% at a total of approximately 1320 words spread across this blog overall. There was so much information blogging became an all-consuming exercise at times. I thoroughly enjoyed presenting a blog for assessment.

Notes; Peers marked blogs using a rubric provided which has helped gain valuable experience in providing student feedback. This blog has undergone many changes since it’s creation, and further changes over the course of the peer marking period. This exercise was challenging to say the least, providing honest, constructive feedback is not easy. To be noted, I marked 4 blogs in total, helping out peers that seemed to have lost their group at the last minute. I did not request a rubric in return because I had already received the two necessary for assessment criteria although one peer did provide a rubric it is not attached.

Time: Three Days each consisting of 1x2hr morning session. 1x2hr afternoon session.Learning area(s): Self-identity, Trust and Relationship Building, School environment, introduction to Digital Technology using the camera.Year(s): Kindergarten, Foundation learning.Learning objectives: This lesson plan is designed to be carried out during the first weeks of the new school year with kindergarten students to familiarise themselves with classmates and their new school environment.The objectives of this exercise is to a). Revisit and reinforce the five learning outcomes from the Early Years Learning Framework; Belonging, Being and Becoming; And, b). Provide an introduction to prepare children for development towards Personal and Social Capability; outlined in the General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum; See Diagram opposite.
Upon completion of this exercise children will know how to use a digital camera and print pictures that will visually instill a strong sense of self, classmates, and the physical school environment.Curriculum links:ACELY1784 – Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact.ACELY1646 – Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations.ACHGK004 – The reasons why some places are special to people, and how they can be looked after.ACHGS006 – Reflect on their learning to suggest ways that they can look after a familiar placeACAMAM055 – Use media technologies to capture and edit images, sounds and text for a purpose.ACTDIK001 – Identify, use and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose.Prior knowledge:It is assumed there is limited if any prior knowledge or experience with digital technology, some children may have technology at home which they use often and will learn more quickly than others. In this circumstance experienced users will be coupled with new users.Resources:Map of the school with each groups walk plan, digital camera, internet connection/ Network, LCD Monitors, Flash/USB Drives, Word Processor/Computer with monitor to download, print and arrange photos, and Printer. Pre arrange with grade 5 or 6 to be in designated areas for assistance.Introduction:Children will be partnered with experienced and non-experienced users, and then put into groups of 4. The lesson will be explained one section at a time outlining each objective. Day one: Digital Camera training; what a camera does, basic parts of the camera, how to point and shoot, each child will take a photo of their partner, everyone will get to use the camera and introduce themselves to the class. How to read the map. How to approach someone for help with etiquette and grace. How to respect the school environment, fixtures fittings etc. Teacher should be well prepared and know of any heritage buildings or protected species.Body of the lesson:Day two; Children will find their partners and form their groups as shown on day one. The teacher will have the photos of each other downloaded and ready for the class to view. Discussion will be encouraged about ‘Who am I and Who are You’ between children. A quick revision of day one will be required and the map revised before starting the mission. The map will have basic instructions and landing points where they are to take the photo. Each map will be different so as a collective all the necessary pictures will be taken to complete the project lesson. Each group will look for 4 items of significance in the school and take a photo of it using a digital point and shoot camera. Eg; Main office, first aid nurse, toilets, playground, largest tree, smallest tree, the classroom, the teacher, etc,. There will be one camera for each group, and they will take turns when using the camera so everyone has another opportunity to use it. A few grade 5 -6 students will rotate shifts to be in designated areas and assist the children and encourage effective communication. When children have walked their designated path it will lead them back to the classroom. Cameras are returned to the teacher and discussion held before going home time.Concluding the lesson:Day three: Revise what has been learnt over the past two days. Spend valuable time with role-play and discussing the concepts of the lesson outline and curriculum links. When discussion has ended explore how to save, file and sort the digital pictures. Once the students have an idea of what to do, break them into their original groups to finish the activity. This may carry on into day four and five to make sure information is absorbed and content has been fully covered.Follow up/Cross Curriculum Ideas:We would send a letter home to their parent/guardians to explain what we did that week and encourage further involvement and discussions at home.
ICT ability is introduced further with the next lesson plan; ACTDIP006 – ACTDIP005 – ACAMAM054 – ACAMAM056. Integrate the use of the digital camera across all curriculum for students to work on a year book. Keep working through Personal and Social Capability criteria to build personal character and independent self-directed learners. Explore different avenues with field trips out of the school grounds.

Week 8 Topic: Lifelong Learning in a Digital Age
Explore what it means to be a global citizen.

Weekly reflection…
As a global citizen lifelong learning in a digital age could interpret as “sustaining digital fluency that enables the cohesion of digital information and technology available to mainstream populous”.

With increased internet use, global communications are in the forefront of social and business lives. Through technology, we are able to live in Australia and work as an engineer for a project in Dubai, and socially interact with people all over the world through web 2.0 platforms (Global Poverty Project. n.d.).

Everyone is a global citizen, and global citizenship has responsibilities. One such organization gathering people from all over the world and accepting responsibility is Global Citizen (Global Citizen.org). Global Citizen has an alliance with The Global Poverty Project, established in 2008 as an international education and advocacy organization working towards the end of extreme global poverty by 2030 (Global Poverty Project. n.d.). The Global Poverty Project has a threefold campaign targeted toward the global community, individuals are able to contribute through their input of time and financial contribution.

The means by which global citizens are fighting for this campaign are in my Prezi below. As a first time user of Prezi and having now experienced a few web 2.0 tools throughout this course, user confidence has increased, and I feel more comfortable using digital technology as a learning tool.

Discussion Board Learning Activity:
Prepare a short presentation on one of the following organisations about what they do, who they are and some examples of their work. The Global Poverty Project; BandAid, The Earth Day Network and The Oceania Project.

Watch the Prezi I made, click on the picture below and use the right arrow key on screen or use the keyboard to progress to the next slide.

Week 7 Topic: Digital Blurring
Gaming and its possible use in teaching and learning.

Weekly reflection…
Games Based Learning (GBL) is a global phenomenon shifting the way we learn and teach in the classroom. Mainstream internet users are becoming more digitally fluent with the integration of virtual worlds, social media and physical worlds; digitally blurring and re-shaping lives.

An exciting recent discovery was that the education department acknowledges off the shelf games are mostly not suitable for classrooms and have merged with Microsoft Partners in Learning to work towards digital technology, student gaming, and teacher coaching platform that will complement the TPACK learning system (Digital Learning Statement, 2010). Equally exciting is that leading commercial software developers are experimenting with techniques used by the video game industry (Schlaepfer, D., February 2013) that will integrate learning into complex games e.g., IBM, Photoshop, and Symantec.

GBL tools teach us about achieving goals; it took me two attempts to make a simple arcade style game which I have provided a link to at the end of this blog; it teaches us ‘patience’ that’s for sure. The experience and knowledge gained during this topic has given me a deeper appreciation for gamification. I did not know that web 2.0 has such a significant impact in the way digital games are developed and utilised in today’s learning environment.

For weekly task purposes I have attached my sploder game which will be amended in due course for the sole enjoyment of my almost two year old son. This is a great introduction for him to the world of home-made gaming:

I didn’t know I was a constructivist!

If someone had said last year, I was going to create a digital animation, I would have told them I probably couldn’t do that and would turn to youtube.

Scratch is a collaborative media program designed for 8-12 year olds providing an excellent array of experiences with users from K to12 (Scratch., n.d.). The first attempt at an animation is scratchy, (pun!) there are too many scripts and being critical there are lots of things that need improving.

A useful element for education is that animations can be upskilled. As children progress through each stage of learning; literacy, math, programming, creation, and other core subjects; more complex and challenging operations can be introduced to support the framework of teaching digital literacy.

By harnessing technological knowledge students have via social media networks and the like, offering new experiences using different types of digital technology we can develop digital literacy into digital fluency that prepares students for the work force (Mac Manus, S. 2013).

Scratch is easy to navigate and script, making it attractive to use as a learning tool. At any age, this is a program that causes feelings of joy and accomplishment.

Discussion Board Learning Activity:
Create an animation with Scratch

Scratch is definitely something that can be utilized homeschooling my two boys. Ideas for animations are now flooding my thoughts, however, it will have to wait until this unit of study is over because my workload at the moment is too great.

Click on the picture below to take you to my very first Scratch Animation I created for my son!

Week 5 Topic: Digital Information
What type of digital information is being presented and can you trust it?

Weekly reflection…
Digital information is any information that is conveyed electronically, through electronic devices. The most informative and reliable information comes direct from the source; Pandora, the National Digital Archives, the state or federal government bodies, and research departments that are long established.

Having now learned to be a critical thinker (Critical thinking, 2014), through analysis and research, it is easier to decipher the jargon from the facts and am able to select information more carefully from reputable writers.

The weekly activity included using a rubric to mark peers pinterest boards made on Digital Technology that helped understand the rubric assessment process. Pinterest is a collaborative, graphic, social media platform, a fantastic curating tool utilizing data visualization (Pinterest Inc, n.d.). As an avid pinterest user my boards now contain more useful information after this week’s activity.

Week 4 Topic: Participation and the Digital DivideWrite about your infographic and comment on any differences or similarities. Consider the feedback given on your infographic.

Weekly reflection…
Data visualisations, like the Infographic below, capture an enormous amount of complex information graphically that is easy to read and absorb in a very short time. (visual.ly, n.d.). The infographic displays Australian household users of the internet, this gap between the people who do and do not have access to the internet is known as a ‘Digital Divide’. Clearly shown, are the two factors that influence the gap; age and money. Statistics researched supported readings from Prensky’s Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives (Prensky, 2001).

Philanthropic Australia is the nation’s largest organization assisting to bridge this gap via means of grants. Mobile phones, as the most affordable mobile device, bridges this gap even further; in 2013, 41% of ‘global’ households were connected (Friederich, 2013); consider the number of mobile users today, and that percentage would be much higher.

There were differences in peers infographics, some more noticeable than others such as the amount of text, chosen colours and interpretation of the divide. Feedback was positive for my infographic, pointing out that the information was easy to capture, and the colours would be appealing to the native generation. Overall, it was another interesting exercise learning new digital applications to publish information.